War is built on sacrifice
by Orexisgrimm
Summary: War breaks out with Kiri shortly after team Sevens mission to wave, Naruto volunteers himself as a sacrifice that may help to end the war.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know this comes as a dissapointment to some that have been following updates on my other stories, But this one is going to be the primary, and it won't be updated often, I'm sorry but I've been busy as all hell, Two trucks that need complete rebuilding, and a jetta that's already got itself mostly in the grave, so All my time is working, and trying to get one of the other vehicles on the road before this one finally loses the motor.

War is built on sacrifice.

After the mission to wave some things had gone seriously wrong for Konoha, Things that no one could have foreseen, First the declaration of war from Kiri was definitely a surprise to them. It soon became apparent that Gato had been funding Kiri for quite some time, they were less than impressed with their loss of income. This had been their basis for starting a war with the strongest of the elemental nations.

We find Team 7 on a intelligence mission gone wrong somewhere just inside the border of Fire country, Kakashi had split from the team minutes before to hold off some of the Enemies that were giving chase. The three still running though had figured out that some had gotten through. Their best guess was they were being chased by a squad of Chunnin from the Mist village.

"Guys You keep going I'll hold them off as long as I can, You need to get the information we gathered to The Hokage."

Sasuke turned his head to look at his friend and team mate while still running "Are you crazy if you stay behind you'll be killed"

"This information is far to important, In times of war sacrifices must be made, This is one of those times, you two are too important to die here, Keep running."

Sasuke's anger showed in his tone when he responded "Are you fucking crazy This is suicide."

Naruto looked back with a heavy expression when he answered "It's not suicide, Simply mercy"

Without another word the blonde reversed direction toward the enemy that was quickly closing the gap.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Sakura asked completely lost for what to do.\

Sasuke looked over to her and in a tone showing more emotion than he had in a long time he told her "No, I'm not gonna let him die without a purpose, We need to get this to the Hokage. That's what he's fighting for so that's exactly what we are going to do.

**6 hours later, Konoha main gates**

The remaining two member of team seven approached the gate when the guard on Duty stopped them "State you're bussiness".

"Team seven reporting from mission, 1 Gennin missing, as well as the team's leading Jonin."

The guard looked at them with a saddened expression, This wasn't an uncommon sight for him since the start of the war. "Please report to the Hokage's office immediately and inform him of what has happened."

**5 minutes later, at the gates**

A beaten kakashi was returning from The mission, He had barely held out through the fight, He could only hope that the team had made it back to Konoha.

"State you're bussiness"

Kakashi sighed, Procedure was tedious, and repetative, It kind of annoyed him.

"Reporting From mission, Has the rest of Team seven arrived yet?"

The Guard's expression fell once again, it was bad enough when the gennin came back but it was going to be another matter entirely to have to tell their sensei that only Two had made it home.

"I'm sorry Kakashi, Only two members of your team made it to safety the third member is missing, Please report to the Hokage, With any luck the remainder of your team will still be debriefing."

The Silver haired Jonin Formed a single handsign and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

**Hokage's office. Current**

Kakashi appeared in the office in a swirl of smoke and leaves to find Sasuke and Sakura standing in front of the Hokage's desk, Both looked like they were about to collapse.

The New arrival did not go Unnoticed by the Old man, However, He didn't acknowledge him just yet, He wasn't through with the report from these two.

"So you're telling me that Naruto volunteered himself to stay behind so that you two could safely complete the mission?"

"Yes Hokage-sama" Sasuke's response showed that his mood was deflated he was weary and tired.

"Okay, Kakashi, I see you made it back safely, I can only assume that you found Naruto along the way?"

Kakashi looked at the ground his head hung in shame. "I'm afraid not, I was hoping that all three of them had made it back, there was no sign of Naruto during my Return."

The old man Sighed heavily, This was going to be hard, He had loved Naruto like his own grandson, His team were his best friends, his sensei, well, He didn't know what Kakashi thought, it was hard to tell with him. The time had come to let them know what this meant.

"I regret to inform you all then that Uzumaki Naruto, is Now Listed as missing in action, If no trail or information is found within the next 3 weeks, then we will have to assume he's dead. In that case Their will be a Funeral for him. The information that you have returned was of great value, I wish I could give you more time, But you only have 3 days until your next mission, Dismissed"

Weeks passed, no word came, Team 7 had been kept busy with several delivery missions of supplies to friendly outposts near the countries borders. No one had heard any news on Naruto, Not even Jiriya, It was official, Naruto was to be pronounced dead and his, name for his contribution and sacrifice to the leaf village, would be engraved on the memorial stone, Next to the many other's that had died in the name of the will of fire.

The funeral was to be held The next morning. Though The old hokage knew that the turnout would be limited.

**The next morning, Shinobi graveyard**

The Konoha rookies were all gathered at the grave. This was hard for those that showed up, Sasuke and Sakura looked visably defeated, Hinata was near the back, She had chosen to wear a veil to hide her tears at the loss of the boy she had loved seemingly forever. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji had gathered off to the side, all trying not to show their pain. Ino was in the back ready to make a quick exit, She wasn't that interested in being here really, She was only here incase Sakura needed her. Shino was standing near Hinata, Silent and Stoic. Though he had befriended the young man, he was here for Hinata as well, As a friend and team mate.

They were all too absorbed in their thoughts though to notice the two silhouettes on hokage Monument.

"You know, it's a better turn out than I thought, I figured maybe half this." The shorter figure said turning to the taller.

"I knew they would turn up, You know I could get in a lot of trouble for doing this."

The shorter one gave a dry chuckle. "I know, I'm sorry to drag you into this, But I appreciate the help Kakashi, I've got to get going though before Someone see's me, or ANBU catch me."

The older man watched as the younger faded into the horizon. "It's the least I can do to make up for all my mistakes...Naruto."


	2. Arrival

A/N: In response to the 3 reviews that I got on the first chapter, I'm glad you liked it and saw promise, Though I haven't decided fully where this story is going to go, I just kept re-running the first chapter and this next part through my head and couldn't seem to get it out of my head so let's find out where it leads us, If there are any things you think I can improve, or anything that you have ideas for in the story let me know, if I use your idea I will credit you in a footnote at the end of the chapters, Thank you all again, I'm glad this story seems to be well received for such a short starting chapter.

Three days had passed since The funeral, A cloaked figure was running towards the nearest port that he could find, He was looking to board a ship, The only one that knew the reason other than himself he prayed managed to keep from being figured out back at his home.

Until He could find his way across the see though, he had to change his appearance, He was too easy to find as he was right now, There weren't many blonds in Fire country, So that had to change. Also, since he was wearing a cloak and clothing borrowed from His old sensei, He needed to find something that fit him a little better, then there was the problem of his unique facial markings, Whisker marks weren't exactly normal no matter where you were from.

Upon arriving at the town the first thing he set his attention to was the problem of his hair, Finding a place the sold hair dye was a bit of a problem, None the less he found a place and invested in buying some dark red dye, It was still uncommon but they weren't looking for a redhead, they were looking for a blonde, the next thing that was on the to do list made him feel a little uneasy, If he wanted to hide the whisker marks without a notable henge, he was going to have to learn to use makeup.

So he sat out on his quest to find the proper makeup, at a shop that hopefully one of the implyees could intruct him on how to use it, Though he still felt like someone was taking away his masculinity as he was looking through the different selection of makeup in a shop in the port city. This was awkward for him. Finally finding someone in the store that could help him He walked toward the girl that was putting more makeup on the shelves.

She was a Natural redhead, Almost the same shade that he had chosen for his own, Tall for a woman at 5'8". She had a very athletic build for someone her age, which he was betting somewhere around her late 30s. All in all she was a very pretty woman, Her hair was wavy and fell to her waist, Her outfit was mostly a dark red. Though the clothing looked like a mix between casual clothing and a combat outfit. The fact that her build also indicated that she may have a background being a fighter of some kind, possibly even a shinobi didn't go unnoticed by the young man. Though he was wary of her, He wasn't going to let that stop him from asking for her help.

"Excuse me miss, Could you help me find something?"

The woman looked up from her work and gave him a smile.

"Sure thing, what can I help you with?" The womans voice was sweet, almost to the point of stunning our young hero.

"I need to find something, that can, well, Do you have anything that can cover these?" Naruto spoke mildly flustered while pointing at his whisker marks.

The older woman grinned a little wider as she walked down the aisle of different types of makeup motioning for Naruto to follow. After what to him seemed like forever, Seeing that he was uncomfortable due to being in a womens makeup department he could only guess that it was less than a minute in reality, She found what she was looking for.

"Seeing as you had to ask what to use to cover those marks, I'm also assuming that you don't know how to apply this am I correct?"

Naruto fidgeted a little before nodding.

"Okay I'll help you and tell you what you need to do, Follow me So we can sit you down and I'll help out."

The woman walked Naruto halfway around the store before leading him into a section that had a bench that he could sit on, while she went to work on covering his marks for him, the entire time explaining to him how to do it himself in the future. (I'm not going to go through the explanation here, I'm a guy and makeup requires WAY more research than I am willing to do.)

"Okay that should do it, Here have a look" The woman said as she pulled out a small makeup case with a mirror on the lid so that he could see his now completely unblemished face, It was weird to him looking into the mirror and not seeing those marks, and his new red hair didn't help his case at all either, He looked like a different person, now it was time to do his clothing shopping, The store he was in carried a lot of different clothing though the section for shinobi was rather small, it wasn't a ninja village so he couldn't expect a whole lot from it. The only reason they had any at all most likely was the town was part of several trading routes that routinely had Shinobi escorts for the goods, so they got at least a little bussiness from the shinobi passing through.

"Hey, Umm I know that you don't have much here for Shinobi clothing, But as you can see my outfits a bit big for me, so, do you have anything that's small enough to fit me?" The girl took a second look at him before smiling and once again waving him over to another part of the store.

"We don't keep a lot of this stuff out on the shelves because it's not often that we get someone through here that buys ninja gear in general, and even less often one of your age, So what exactly are you going for, I'm sure I can find something."

Naruto looked back her confused, what was he going for? What did that mean? He just wanted something that fit and possibly even looked remotely decent.

Seeing the look of confusion on his face the woman explained. "I mean are you going for casual, or are you looking for stylish, are you looking for something impressive, something that stands out, or are you going for total badass?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute, seeing as he hadn't previously had a plan for any particular goal with clothing, just something that worked. After thinking it over, which didn't take entirely too long seeing as she delivered him the perfect option. "Yeah I'm gonna go with total badass."

"That a boy, My specialty" The woman responded with an even larger smile now.

Going through the racks of clothing and at some points walking out back into the storage room to grab other articels of clothing she kept making a larger pile for Naruto to look through. Once she seemed satisfied. (about the time the pile was the size of a small truck) She started picking out what she thought would be best from the now fairly large selection.

This still took her about an hour to find him an outfit that he liked, to start she found him a skin tight combat shirt, that was very stretchy and flexible for an undershirt. Then over it a black combat vest that had pockets for everything you could ever want to carry with you, dark combat pants that looked like something ANBU would wear only with a couple extra pockets, He had 2 Hip packs for his Kunai and Shuriken, as well and one strapped around his leg, Black combat boots, that came almost to his knees, And Leather gloves with steel reinforced knuckles on them. His Forehead protector was now stashed in one of his packs (couldn't risk people asking questions) instead he had just a black headband wrapped where the forehead protector used to be.

After paying for everything, Which the woman was nice enough to give him a discount on. He left the store. He was definitely appreciative of the money that Kakashi had given him before he left for supplies along the way, Next in the line of business was to find a ship to cross the sea, This was going to be the hardest part, He was instructed to an island far from the mainland, Apparently they traded materials with this city, but the shipments didn't come often. They only made 2 or 3 per year, Though Kakashi had told him that one of the ships going to the island should be leaving here soon, He had to find it.

The docks were extensive, Being that this was a trade center a lot of ships were coming and going, Though there was only one that he was interested in finding. Looking around he realized that he was completely lost, it was going to take forever if he just kept going about it hoping to come across the ship on luck alone.

'Okay so how do I find a single ship among hundreds of others, who would possibly know where they are all going.'

Then it finally hit him, The harbor masters job was to know where every ship was, what it had onboard and where it was going. So he set his search instead of on the ships onto finding the harbormasters office. This search of course was much quicker. Knocking on the door, The response took only moments before he heard "please enter" From the other side of the door.

Walking into the room it was hard to see, It took a bit for his eyes to adjust to the much darker office after being outside in the sun. Once he adjusted he could see the harbor master sitting at a desk not that far from him, The man was older, but still looked strong from many years of helping load crates when he was younger. The man stood up and turned his attention to the younger man before him.

"How can I help you little one." The mans voice was rough, Likely the product of many years of yelling commands while the ships were being loaded.

Naruto got straight to his question, "I'm wondering if there is a ship leaving for the land of lost shadows?"

The old harbormaster looked at the young Shinobi as if he had seen a ghost, After a moment the man went back to his desk and opened up his list of all the ships coming in and out of the port and their destinations. He scanned the book for what seemed to Naruto to be hours, though it was only a couple of minutes until he found the ship he was looking for.

"The ship leaves in an hour, from dock 122, I advise if you're going though you make sure you're prepared for some very rough sailing, Many a ship has gone down on that run, The sea you're looking to cross is known for it's violent storms. I'd hurry and get ready though if I were you."

Naruto nodded and gave his thanks before making his way towards the door, Before he left the older man spoke just a few more words that made him fear this was going to be a tough journey. "May god shine upon you, because if he doesn't boy, I don't think you'll make it there alive."

With that, Naruto left to find the ship that he was looking for. It didn't take long to find the dock now that he knew where to look, Now it was just the matter of getting the captain to take him on board, This could be difficult he thought to himself as he walked out onto the dock to ask the sailors who he needed to speak to.

The sailors told him that the captain should be returning shortly and he could ask about the passage when She returned. The young hero was surprised to hear that the captain of the ship was a woman, That wasn't very common, only a select few women took it as their profession to sail ships, If was a lot of hard labor.

The wait was boring, The sailors loaded crates onto the ship for their travels, It was about 20 minutes before a familiar face walked down the docks, The woman from the store earlier was about to walk by, but stopped when she recognized the boy sitting on a supply crate near the boarding planks for the ship.

"Hey kid, Didn't expect to see you again, so what brings you to my ship." The womans tone was different, It was more commanding now. Though the surprise on Naruto's face must have been visable because she answered his question before he could.

"I only make this trip a few times per year, So I own that store to keep money in my pocket between shipments. You were lucky you caught me before I left, Though I still want to know what you're doing here."

Naruto nodded and for a moment thought about how to ask his question, it was going to be difficuly no matter how he cut it, He didn't have much money left, So paying for the trip was hardly an option. Maybe he could make some other arrangement though.

"Well, oddly enough I'm trying to get to the island you're sailing to, I didn't know you were the captain of the ship. I need to get there though." Naruto looked at her pleadingly.

She looked back knowing from earlier that he had already spent most of his money on new attire. "I don't suppose you'll be able to pay for the travels?"

He hung his head even though he knew that was coming. "No but I can do other things to make up for it, I can help with things on the ship, just tell me how and I'll do it, I _Need_ To get there."

She thought for a minute before he mile wide smile from earlier had returned. "I think you're in luck young man, Prepare for the worst week of your life, and welcome aboard."

The trip had been good for the first three days, The captain who he had learned went by the name Lanna had him doing chores around the ship, cutting up ingredients for the chef, Checking the supplies, Helping the other sailors with their tasks. The fourth day though things took a turn. The morning sun was blotted out of the sky by heavy black clouds. The seas were rough. By mid morning the rain was pelting the ship like marbles, The thunder roared. The ships creaked and groaned as Lanna screamed her orders until every man on board could hear the call. Naruto found himself in danger several times of almost being swept off the ship by the crashing waves. The lightning flashed as they tied the sails and tried to ride out the storm. Lanna as it turns out was not only experienced but a damn brave woman as she turned into the storm. Naruto was trying to tie down a crate of supplies that was on the deck when the ship came off the wave they were crossing. The bow of the ship broke deep and and water from the next wave crashed over the deck, When the water had settled Naruto was barely hanging on to the rail of the duck with his feet over the sea. He tried to pull himself up, The railing was wet from the rain that was starting to mix with small hail. His hands started to slip.

His mind was racing, This wasn't how things were supposed to go, He was hanging on for dear life, slipping with each second, About to fall overboard into freezing cold waters, the weather was rough enough that if he fell there was no chance that he would be rescued. His thoughts ended with a scream of 'OH SHIT' as his hand finally left the railing, He was sure that he was doomed, That is until he felt a strong grip around his wrist. He opened his eyes to see that someone had grabbed him at the last second, Following the arm up to his rescuer it was none other than Lanna, She pulled him back onto the deck before yelling at him. "Be careful dammit, I can't have you falling overboard, You won't be meeting Hachirou If you die on the way."

A look of shock crossed Naruto's face after she had spoken, He had never told her who he was looking for, so how did she know? She had given no indication until now that she realized why he was going to the island to start with.

"How the hell do you know who I was going to meet. I never told you that." He was giving her a hard questioning stare.

She realized before he had asked that she had said to much, So she came up with something quick. "I was told to expect someone that was going to seek passage to the island, I was told to keep them safe. That's the only reason I know that you're going to meet Hachirou, and the only reason that I just saved you, Now enough questions, and get back to work."

The rest of the journey was tense, Naruto didn't trust Lanna anymore, If she knew who he was going to meet, why didn't she say so earlier, Why didn't she tell him that he was expected. What else did she know that she was keeping to herself?, He didn't completely buy her story that she was just told to expect him so what was her real motive? Who was she really? He shoved all these thoughts to the back of his head though as he realized that land was in sight on the morning of the sixth day of sailing, Lanna yelled from the wheel of the ship for them to prepare to enter the capital of the land of lost shadows.

Upon their arrival, Naruto was glad to be on land again, The rocking of the ship had driven him crazy, He liked being on the ship yes, but for a week straight? No, Not enough room to move around. It was like being in a cage and he didn't like that too much.

He helped unload their cargo, Lanna told him that was the last thing she needed him to do then he was free to go and do as he wished. He worked fast, Though he didn't use his shadow clones in this instance. Not trusting Lanna he didn't want to let her know how strong he was at all, she already knew he was a shinobi from when he was shopping and for now that was all she was going to know.

Once he was finished with his unloading, Lanna Told him how to find Hachirou.

"Okay Go down the main street until you get to a place called the sleepless inn, take a left down the side road that passes the building. It will only be a couple of minutes, you'll find a weapons shop, Hachirou owns the shop, He may be out back at the forge if that's the case you'll have to wait for him to come back out front. Now get lost before I find something else for you to do."

Naruto didn't have to be told twice, She was a bit of a slave driver, He ran until he saw the inn that she had told him about, Took the side road until he came to a place called "Trusted arms". He entered though he didn't see anyone at the counter so he sat and waited to meet his new sensei, remembering what he had read in the scroll Kakashi had given him.

_Naruto,_

_ I hope you are well, My name is Hachirou, it's taken me a long time to find out how to contact you, I'm sorry that it's taken this long but I have information about you're family, Though before I can give it to you You must become strong. You can find me on in the land of lost shadows, Meet me there and I will train you Until you're ready to know the truth. NO ONE can know of this meeting except for Kakashi he already knows, He will help you get out of Konoha without suspicion._

_ See you soon,_

_ -Hachirou._

His thoughts were disturbed when he heard someone come through the door from the back of the store, He stood up and turned to see Who his new sensei would be, As soon as his eyes landed on the man though Naruto froze, He could feel the blood poor out of his face and felt lightheaded, It wasn't possible, no it had to be a dream.

"Yondaime?"

**end note**

**A/N: Thanks to zoidsking for the idea for the name of the Island. This update came sooner than I expected, Work was slow so I got the day off and put it to use writing this. Please review and let me know what you think?**


	3. The start of a new Shinobi

A/N: Okay so I'm bored now, So I know it hasn't been very long but I am adding chapter 3 as well, I had planned on it Thursday, but I decided not to wait before I lose the idea In mind. I appreciate the single review on chapter two (it's only been about an hour and a half since I posted the last chapter so I can't complain that It's only one, I'm sure I'll see more, even after this chapter. In any case, I plan on this turning into something bigger, I haven't decided if their will be any romantic involvements (though I tend to meld into them regardless if I plan so I guess it's more of I haven't decided on a pairing yet.) Without any further delay I bring you chapter 3

The start of a new Shinobi

"Yondaime?" The young boys face was one of disbelief. This had to be some kind of fucked up dream.

The man that had called himself Hachirou looked back analyzing the boys features.

"Yes I was once called the yondaime, I haven't held that title in a long time, I was forced to leave label far behind, as well as my actual name, I am Minato Namikaze, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you who I was in the letter but I can't risk people back home finding out who I really am. Only one person knows that I am alive."

This was about the time that He got cut off by Naruto's fist to his stomach, It was the strongest hit the young Ninja could offer.

"If you're alive how the hell could you leave Konoha, You were their greatest hero, You were the strongest Shinobi in history why would you leave them?."

"NARUTO, I had to leave, The Kyuubi didn't kill me but it nearly did, It's taken me 12 years to regain my strength, I called you here because I wish to train you, I already know that you've been told about the Kyuubi being sealed inside you. I hope you don't hate me but I had my reasons for picking you. I'll tell you more on that during and after your training. The first Line of business though is to get you into shape. I have no doubt that the populace of Konoha didn't follow my wishes and see you as a hero, All of the demon containers have been treated the same."

He was again cut off.

"You mean...there are others like me...?" Naruto looked sad and at the same time hopeful, He wasn't alone, but it hurt him to know that they had the same fate as he had been served.

"Yes there are 9 total, one for each tailed beast, Though I heard that one had died and the Biju was released from it's prison, the sanbi if I remember correctly, I knew that you wouldn't receive proper training in Konoha, so Once I regained my strength I had the message delivered to you so that you can be trained properly."

Minato stopped to let this sink in to the genin in front of him, Naruto had an array of emotions in his eyes, happiness, sadness, Anger, Everything that a human can experience was colliding inside his head. Minato saw this as the time to explain a few other things.

"Since the day of the sealing I had planned to train you if I had survived the jutsu to contain the Kyuubi, But I would be too weak, So I had Kakashi my own student pull some strings, so that he could get you on his team, He was asked not to train you fully because the training given to most genin simply won't do for what I want you to learn. It would have been pointless to teach you then I'd have to force you to break those habits that are formed through training to clean the slate for the new ones I'd have to teach you, Kakashi wasn't neglecting you, he was helping you be ready for this."

Once again he stopped, Watching as Realization dawned on Naruto's face, That's how Kakashi got the letter that was for Naruto, He was the Yondaimes student, They had been in contact, Kakashi knew that he was alive, He knew hadn't been a bad Sensei, He had followed the wishes of the strongest Shinobi to ever live. It all made a sick kind of sense to the young, now red headed boy.

"I was told that you had red hair, But I also heard from Lanna that you had dyed you're hair and asked her about makeup and outfitting, so I was expecting something a little more common, Red though isn't a bad choice, Yes Lanna will also be a part of your training, she will stay docked here for 4 more months, then return back to the same port you came from for 4 months, She alternates her time here and there, She is also a retired Konoha Shinobi, by retired I mean She's thought to be dead, She just is easier to hide in a crowd than I am so she can return to deliver messages for me, and keep up on current news."

Again Naruto looked surprised, This man that was thought dead, now tells him that he's been keeping up on the news, keeping up on his life, Speaking with his sensei, and keeping himself hidden from the best spy masters in the world for 12 years? Yeah that takes some damn good skills.

"However I'm done with this conversation, that is all that I can tell you for now, Until you've had more training and are ready for the things I have to tell you. Come now, Follow me to my personal training grounds, We need to see what kind of skills you've already got, and what needs work first, Then once we get the basics I'll start the special training I have planned."

Naruto nodded, it took him several moments to finally set himself to determination that showed in his eyes, he was ready, he was going to be trained by his hero, to be trained by the best there ever was, When he got back home he was gonna Love the looks on his friends faces.

They arrived at a training field that was easily twice the size of team sevens old grounds. There was a river at one end that flowed lazily into the nearby trees. There were 6 training posts, 3 at either end of the field, and a Large expanse of grass and rocks in the middle, It looked like you could train for just about any kind of environment if the grounds were used properly.

The yondaime didn't wait long before starting the practice.

"come at me with everything you've got, If you don't come at me with intent to kill than you'll have no chance."

Naruto's mind was making a parallel to Kakashi's speech at the genin test. Naruto got himself into a ready stance and waited for Minato's signal. "BEGIN."

Naruto Started by making 3 shadow clones, It was after all his signature move.

"Shadow clones? Impressive."

Was all he heard before the first one had been destroyed, Naruto made 10 more clones before dodging into the woods for cover, He may have been slow sometimes, but he knew with an oppenent of this caliber there wasn't a chance that he was going to win a head to head confrontation, His jutsu was very limited, his Taijutsu was sloppy, He wasn't that great with thrown weapons, He couldn't use Genjutsu which left him with only one option, traps, and pranks, It was time to get to work.

**one hour later**

Naruto stood his breathing ragged as the yondaime approached, the traps had all failed, There was only the last one left, the running and beating that Naruto had took had him on his last legs, This was going to make or break the match, But before the yondaime even reached the traps trigger He help up a hand and spoke.

"Congradulations, you know when to avoid a confrontation, you showed a unique ability in traps, Creativity in the face of danger, You are evasive, I saw your Taijutsu while only a brief struggle is way below par for a genin, you never used genjutsu so much as even a standard clone, so I'll assume you have trouble with them, and you used no real jutsu other than the kage bunshin, so I'll assume that you didn't learn much outside of the academy basics, that's not a bad thing though that will make a lot of this easier since I don't have to break you of their principals of jutsu's and how they work and are used, I can start you with a whole different outlook that will help you become stronger than you could ever imagine."

The man was smiling as he flicked a kunai and set off the last trap while he stayed well clear.

"oh and nice try" His smile went from ear to ear just like Naruto's usually did as he announced his plans for Naruto's training.

He looked the young man straight in the eyes with a piercing serious stare "Tomorrow Morning at 5 AM sharp I expect you to be here, we are going to work on your chakra control for the first 3 hours, then we are going to work on your taijutsu and not that academy stuff you'll be learning my personal style, Then after 4 hours of physical training we start learning on Jutsu that you will have to master before you can even think of trying to learn another, then On some days when Lanna can make it she will be training you for 6 hours a day in Kenjutsu being that it's her specialty, There is an apartment Over my shop you'll be staying there with me. I expect you home no later than midnight so that You can be awake at 5." (Yeah I don't sleep much, and they are ninja they should only sleep as much as I do)

Naruto looked excited before yelling his response "YES SENSEI."

After receiving his dismissal from his new sensei he returned to town to start learning more about the capitol city, if he was going to be living and training here he might as well figure out where everything was.

During his travels not very long after turning back onto the main street in a part of the town that he hadn't walked through on his way to meet his hero, He smelled a most heavenly scent, He knew imediately what he smelled, it was familiar. It was Ramen, Quickening his pace to find the origin of the smell of the godliest food that Naruto knew of he was quickly making his way to the end of the market where he saw a stand that was all too familiar, it looked just like Ichiraku Ramen, In fact it was named the same too. He walked into the stand and realized not only did it have the same name, the menu was a lot alike, and the owner while being a lot younger, could pass for a brother to Tuechi from back home.

Naruto adopting his best behavior to get ramen, and secondly get and answer to his question spoke politely "Hello sir, May I place an order?"

The ramen cook turned towards the young man looking him over for a few minutes he could see a look of curiosity in the young mans eyes but didn't ask about it. "Yes now what would you like young man?"

Naruto ordered himself 3 beef ramen and 3 Miso to start, which made the Chef's eyes widen a little, Then the first question out of Naruto's mouth got him again. "Do you by any chance know of another stand by the same name in Konoha? You look a lot like Tuechi?"

The young chef waited a few minutes in thought before he answered, It had been a long, long time. "Yes I know Tuechi, Would be hard not to know my own father though I suppose, He taught me everything I know, it's been a long time since I've been home though I wonder how he's doing."

Naruto looked at the man and smiled, "aside from being old he's doing well. Though I'm sure that with me gone he'll lose some profits, I used to eat there everyday, orders even bigger than this one."

The man looked stunned, But then decided it would be best to find out who this newcomer was. "Do you have a name young lad?"

Naruto looked around a bit nervously "Yes but if I tell you, you have to promise that no one in Konoha finds out that I'm here, they kind of sorta think that I'm dead, I'd like to keep it that way."

The man nodded slowly then agreed not to tell anyone. "I won't tell a soul I promise."

Naruto Hesitated but then told the man "I am Naruto Uzumaki, It's nice to meet you sir."

upon finishing his meal which elft the ramen vendors eye's even wider, Naruto decided that he had had enough of the city for one day so it was time to go to his new home and figure out what his new living arrangement would be like.

5 minutes later found Naruto outside his door, He knocked as he let himself in to the apartment It was easily 3 times the size of his own apartment in Konoha, and well furnished, this was nothing like what he had lived in, while still just being a modest home the furniture was clean, the floors were spotless, there were pictures on the wall some of Konoha, One that caught Naruto's attention was on that had a very young Kakashi, and two other genin, and Minato standing behind them, It looked a lot like Naruto's own team photo, He quickly pushed away the memories so that they wouldn't get the better of him and made his way through the rest of the rooms, He came to a bedroom, there was only an empty desk and a bed, the other room that he saw was another bedroom but had bookcases full of scrolls, He assumed that must be Minato's room so the empty one must be his own, He started unpacking and getting ready for what he assumed would be the most hardcore training of his life.

**one week later** (yeah I know It feels rushed, there will be a lot of time skips, and later on flashbacks, just stay with me here.)

Naruto had just mastered the first jutsu the yondaime had to offer him, the Rasengan, this was a powerful technique, he found out from Minato that it was actually the basis for Kakashi's Raikiri, and that it was stronger than most assassination techniques out there, one it was nearly silent, and two it required no hand signs so it was faster to prepare.

Also Naruto had gotten the displeasure of 2 days with the most sadistic swordsman he could imagine, Also known as Lanna, The woman didn't seem to know the meaning of the word mercy, She was cruel, pushed him until he couldn't stand then made him get up and train some more, Pushed him until his hands would bleed, bandaged his hands then made him keep at it, She was cruel, Always pushing him the hardest, Injured him several times during their training, though he had made a lot of progress in only 2 days thanks to her take no prisoners style of teaching.

**time skip 3 months.**

Though it was a little early today was the last day that Naruto would get to train with Lanna before she went back to the mainland, She as leaving 2 and a half weeks earlier than she had initially scheduled apparently she received word of important news from the mainland so she was going to find out what the fuss was all about.

Naruto had in these three months learned several basic jutsu from The yondaime, not to mention that his skill with a sword had gone through the roof thanks to Lanna, She had stopped by almost everyday to train him, He was now faster and stronger than the average chunnin, His skills were almost at a Jonins level from training with her and the living legend and strongest man to roam the elemental nations, He was told that he was going to be training for 2 more years, though he was told that his best challenge would come with the next justsu he was to try to learn, that it would take him a long time, and that it would put him a level or 3 above the rest, His hero's famous Hirashin Jutsu.

Today though he was going to learn something that would blow his Mind, Lanna had pulled him aside because she would be too busy for the next couple weeks readying her ship for the travels, She told him she had something very important to tell him, He was waiting in the training field, She was late.

A few minutes later and Naruto felt his hair stand on the back of his neck, He knew this feeling, Without a second though he pulled his sword and blocked the overhead swing of his Kenjutsu teacher.

"Sensei...You're late"

He moved himself out from under her blade and blocked the next swing with his reinforced gloves, He pushed the blade up and away from himself and used the opening to swing at Lanna. She managed to pull her sword back and block the blow though, the exchange lasted about 3 minutes before she called it enough and told Naruto to sit down.

Obeying he found himself a nice place and seated himself on the ground in front of her, She then began to speak.

"You may be mad at me for telling you what I have to say, but I feel that it's time to tell you come things about your life, and at least a small amount about who I am, My name isn't actually Lanna, as you may have already guessed, Actually, I think I'm more afraid you'll be mad that I hid this from you, My name is Actually Kushina Uzumaki, and I'm your mother."

She stopped and looked at her son, He didn't seem to be taking the news very well, Disbelief then anger flashed through his eyes, In seconds he had is sword drawn and upon her, She barely managed to her hers ready and block in time, She knew that he would be mad and had planned for this though.

"Naruto, I couldn't be there, I had to take care of Minato, I know that you're mad, and I know that it hurts, but I didn't have a choice, Please believe me I tried to keep and eye on you I did, But I just couldn't be there."

Naruto slowly pulled back his sword and put it away, This was a lot for him to take in, his family was alive, at least a member of it. He for the first time in his life had a mother, that would explain why she had known who he was looking for, and why she had been so nice to him even while being a slave driver on their journey and during training.

After training for a couple more hours she told him it was time for her to leave, so he took himself back home, So that he could rest and think over everything that he had learned

**time skip 1 year 364 days**

Minato was already waiting in the field for his student, Today was the day that He told them they were going to return to the village hidden in the leaves, It was finally time, to let Naruto know that he had Surpassed his master, In every field including sealing, It was also time to let him know why he was chosen to carry his burden and why the Yondaime was training him. It was time to reveal the truth.

As soon as he felt the presence appear behind him he spoke without ever turning.

"Naruto please take a seat, It's time for me to tell you a great many things, I'd like it if you didn't interrupt, I'll answer all your questions after I'm done, I expect that at some points you'll most likely assault me but I also ask you to hold and and all violence until I've finished, that way if you knock me out I still told you everything."

Naruto understood, He could be quick to anger and he acted irrationally a lot, This time though he braced himself for the worst, I mean he had learned a great many things, He had found his mother, he had trained under her, She had provided him a good life as had Minato, So almost anything he had to say He was bracing for, Well, except the exact things Minato was going to tell him.

"Naruto I chose you to seal the Kyubi for several reasons, You were born just hours before the attack, and as you know To seal a being of that power the host has to have undeveloped chakra coils to handle and form around the energy of the beast that's sealed. That however wasn't the only reason that you were chosen, You see I couldn't ask anyone to make that sacrifice to give up their child to seal the monster, and Not just any child would have sufficed, I had to pick one that I knew would grow to be strong, that would be strong enough to hold back that power, and to one day control it, Being that I couldn't ask someone else, I was forced to seal the Kyuubi into my own son. Yes Naruto, I'm your father, I hope you don't hate me for keeping this from you, but like I said in the letter years ago, I couldn't tell you until You were ready and your training had been completed." He paused but raised a hand to stop Naruto's coming outburst.

"Also that brings me to another thing I need to talk about, your training is complete, You've come far in these two years, you've mastered and learned everything that I have to teach you, You've surpassed me, You're mother as well, you wield a sword better than any man alive, It's time for _**US**_ To all go home. Your mother is already getting the ship ready, she leave tomorrow, Once we hit the mainland, it should take us 8 hours to reach Konoha, you're a LOT faster than you were the first time, There aren't many men that could keep up with us, Well except that one Jonin, Mighto Gai, he's just fucken crazy though."

With this Naruto looked excited, pissed off, but excited still, He had come to terms that Kushina had hidden who she was for several reasons, and he had figured that his father had kept secrets for a reason, He understood that the first several years of his own life his father was too weak, And that he stayed out of the spotlight until he was sure that he was ready and able to return, He understood it all now, as best as he could anyways, It still made him angry realizing that he had been living with his own father for two years and didn't even know it. He stood and walked towards his father, Not knowing exactly himself what he was going to do. Before he even had time to realize what he was doing he found himself in a full hug with his father, No tears came from his eyes, though he could feel them there, This was a very good day for him, He just couldn't wait to get back to Konoha to see his friends again. This was going to be a bitch to explain though, that he was alive, with the Yondaime, and his own mother. That they were his actual family. After a long embrace They finally broke apart, their eyes met and a look of deviance passed through both their eyes as they bolted off towards their apartment to pack for their travels.

**end notes**

Next chapter "homecoming"

There will be some flashbacks in the next chapter to explain some of what happened while Naruto was away from konoha, But it will mostly be in the current time of the story,

My ending noted I appreciate you reading my story I know this update came REALLY fast, it's the product of raw boredom, I didn't have much else to do so I got a jump on it. Anyways I hope you like it, I'm always open to advice and criticism, As long as it's constructive. Let me know things you might like to see and your ideas, they will be credited to you in the end notes, Thank you. Please review.


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